Covering thousand kilometers of roads with solar panels? France will make it!

A milestone which will carry out the French country covering those thousand kilometers of roads with solar energy through solar panels.

The renewable energy project is extremely ambitious and is being supported by the environments authorities, specifically by the Department led by Minister of Ecology and Energy, Segolene Royal.

Energy expenditure savings will be considerable as this. The report reveals that four meters of this solar road will solar energy to a home and every kilometer of it will provide electricity to nothing more and nothing less than 5,000 inhabitants: 0,08% of the French population.

Environmental challenges of the project

But in this ambitious project are not all lights. The main challenge facing the country is to solve the fact that the orientation of the solar panels will be completely horizontal in many sections of the road; which is not as efficient. It is one of the points that will have to give a solution.

It is envisaged that the first performance or first stone to start the project conducted during the spring of this year. An initiative that could last about five years approximate execution.

The form of financing is also remarkable. Minister Segolene Royal said in the presentation of the project that the solar panels along with the entire amount will be financed partially with higher taxes on fossil fuels. According to Royal, which has dropped the price of oil gives a margin to carry out this tax increase. The calculations estimate that would be obtained here between two and three hundred million euros.

Who will develop the solar panels?

Colas company specializing in the construction sector, has been commissioned to design the photovoltaic panels. They have taken five years to develop the model. Plates with about seven millimeters thick and using a polycrystalline silicon film that converts solar energy into electricity.

The panels are made to withstand the weight of cars of all sizes and weights.

An initiative that is not the only world. In his day the project called "Solar Roadways" had a huge support thanks to crowdfunding. On this occasion, the solar cover all public roads US routes. This technology is still under development but it would supply three times the country. The process of crowdfunding got a $ 2,266,357 fund USD and the original campaign was financed by 220% in June last year.

Undoubtedly, it is two very ambitious projects in the commitment to renewable in a different and unique way.